New broiler farming method gets chickens to market faster with higher returns
The household "flow-through" broiler rearing technique means brooding and fattening are carried out in separate rooms. After the chicks are raised in the brooding room to 28 days of age, the whole group is moved at the same time into the fattening house and raised until they are ready for market, while the vacated brooding room takes in a new batch of chicks. In this way, the cyclic "flow-through" operation not only speeds up the broiler rearing batches but also improves the utilization rate of the chicken house. Because of all-in, all-out management and thorough disinfection, the incidence of disease in chicks is greatly reduced.
1. Construction of a household "flow-through" chicken house. Farming households can make full use of idle old houses and courtyards, converting them into a "flow-through" broiler house.
Brooding room: an old house can be repaired, cleaned, whitewashed and fitted with insulation facilities, and once it meets the brooding requirements it is ready for use.
Fattening house: in the courtyard, use one wall as a side, and build walls 2.0-2.5 m high with bricks on the other sides (the length and width depend on the number of chicks being brooded and the size of the courtyard), put a roof on top, leave a skylight, and make windows at the front and back. The fattening room and the brooding room are connected by a door; this door is opened when the chicks are moved between groups and is kept closed and tightly sealed the rest of the time.
2. Household "flow-through" broiler rearing method
Brooding: spray the brooding room with 2% caustic soda water for disinfection, then disinfect the walls and floor with a blowtorch flame. After 5 days, light a fire in the room to test the temperature, and when the temperature stabilizes at around 32°C, the chicks can be brought in, at about 30 birds per square meter. After carefully raising them for 28 days according to brooding procedures, open the connecting door between the brooding room and the fattening room, and move the chicks into the fattening house at dusk for fattening. At the same time, remove all the litter from the brooding room, disinfect it using the above method, spread new litter, then fumigate and disinfect with formaldehyde (14 ml of formaldehyde and 7 g of potassium permanganate per cubic meter of space), keep doors and windows closed for 5 days, then open the windows, adjust the temperature, and bring in a new batch of chicks.
Fattening: 7 days before the fattening house receives the moved chicks, spread the litter and carry out strict disinfection. Keep the broiler fattening density at 14-16 birds per square meter, use hanging-bucket feeders for feeding, let the chickens eat freely, and ensure drinking water. By 50 days of age, the average body weight of male and female fattening chickens should reach about 2 kg, at which point all can be sent to market. After they are sent to market, the litter should also be removed, quicklime spread on the floor, strict disinfection carried out, and new litter spread to welcome the second batch of chicks moved from the brooding room.